


The Firebird of the Brutale and the Count's rebellion

by Mecha9Viceroy74



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, The Arcana (Visual Novel), The Sexy Brutale (Video Game)
Genre: Crossover, Developing Relationship, Devils, F/F, F/M, Faustian Bargain, Gen, Magical Accidents, Magical Boys, Magical Girls, Puella Magi Madoka Magica Spoilers, Survivor Guilt, Tarot, Witches, switching point of view
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22723429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mecha9Viceroy74/pseuds/Mecha9Viceroy74
Summary: When a magical gentleman who is bound to the Sun Arcana and the former time-stopping magical girl Homura Akemi meet in the city of Neo Vesuvia, can they find their loved ones before the Devil gets his due?Can nine splintered adults and five magical girls stop an attempt to permanently damage the Law of Cycles by the former Count of Old Vesuvia and rewrite the Consensus of magic? Or is it doomed to failure?
Kudos: 6





	1. The Sun's Marquis, a Wand Puella Magi and The Devilish Count

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When an ambitious gambler and a teenage high school student from Mikitara City meet up in Neo Vesuvia, the threads of fate are spun and nothing is quite the same as it was before.
> 
> Can the scarlet Marquis and the Time stop magical girl who rewrote the universe a second time stop the third reality rewriter, or at the very least figure out what he wants?

#####  Chapter 1: The Gambler and the Time-stopping devil 

The faint memory of a dizzying flight to the airport at Florence, before suddenly winding up in Neo Vesuvia's train station after a train ride echoed through Lucas's memories, of which there had been many. But something still eluded the chosen of the sun Major Arcana, in the late spring heat. A half drawn memory of something unsaid between friends. 

It should have been a perfectly quiet walk through the city of Neo Vesuvia's old Heart district during his holiday. So why was he even thinking about taking up the mantle of Sun's chosen or indeed any Major Arcana at all, after the horrific mishap involving the fire at the Sexy Brutale mansion, which nearly killed everyone at the party and the Wheel of fortune Arcana de-powering him for his poor decisions? The name Lafc--io Boone was on the tip of his tongue, at the sight of the creature. Heavens knows putting down his old friend was the only option not letting a fine soul be puppeted by that "Doctor" who had only brought misery and poor advice. 

That was the sort of thought echoing through Lucas Bondes's mind as he saw the giant black bird monster attack the government officials in broad daylight during his first holiday in Neo Vesuvia, which he was pretty sure was because none of them had planned the election well. Or maybe it was the reverse, it was hard to tell with the Major Arcana Fiends. Upon noticing him it cawed angrily as the world shifted as the runes covered the offices and they were teleported to an old Renaissance Doctor's quarters. 

**Perche sei Qui Valerius? Muori for not letting t--- patire! Gracchaire, gracchaire gracchaire!"** The Fiend shouted angrily at a nervous man wearing his hair in a long black hairstyle as the rune sigils spelt out his name. _Dottore Ilya Corvo, the Major Arcana Fiend of the Hanged Man._

"You're angry at someone called Counsel Valerius, Doctor Illya? I'm not that man, there must be some sort of mistake." Lucas stated nervously as he was about to get his rune out of his gold pocket watch, before the Fiend turned his wrath on him next. There was no death or any violence as the reddish black raven man calmed down, yet suddenly a girl with long black hair who was also caught up in the barrier pulled out something from her pocket.

It was a purple ring which suddenly glowed as he quickly transformed at the same time. The two magically contracted strangers stared at each over the opposite ends of the core while the Fiend had ignored them, out of some vague modesty. "Who and what are you? Boys and adults don't normally contract!" "Erm, maybe we should be focusing upon the source of this problem first?" Lucas hastily added towards the strange girl, while the Fiend vaguely raised an eyebrow at the ageist comment, before readying a pair of giant wings 

Dottore Illya Corvo shouted angrily at Lucas as his runes quickly translated in into hasty English from Italian and Russian. "Burgiardo! Pochemu ty odet kak ya?" "You think I'm lying and you want to know why I'm dressed like you? Well personal fashion choice." Lucas quickly stated as he readied a sword with ashen feathers as the Fiend stated surprisingly in English oddly accented in American. "Then go ahead kiddo copycat. This wretch will gladly welcome death's mercy." A quick storm of feathers filled the , while Lucas quickly went to find some cover, but Homura wasn't quite as lucky. 

Homura winced as the Fiend's feathers dug like daggers into her ankle and several Malaks all crowded near her, their raven beaks opened revealing antiquated medical saws and leeches. She quickly shot at the familiars causing them to fade away like ashes, while the Fiend chuckled at Lucas sword's Dawn Slash. "Ohh, that feels good. Not exactly had a challenger hit me for 60 years. Care for another try?" 

"If that's what you want." Lucas flippantly replied with a riposte. The quick parry went back and forth, until Ilya grabbed it out of Lucas's hands. "Wait, what?" 

Then the sound of a ticking clock covered the area, just as the sword stabbed Lucas in the shoulder. "Mhe Zhal !" 

The golden Phoenix, his Arcana patron the Sun all dressed in sandy yellow looked at him with a groan at the injured Homura Akemi. "Since you are obviously taking a risk saving this girl Lucas, I should warn you beforehand you only have two hours of magic left until sunset. Use them well, because the Traitor Count lurks here. Also keep an eye on this girl. she's hiding something dangerous." As the Sun Arcana vanished back to the Arcana Realm, he quickly pressed an Anguish flower with a reddish black and brown petalled colour scheme containing the Hanged Man symbol near Homura's Soul Gem, waiting for her to get up. 

"Urgh. Thank you Lucas-san, that wasn't a Witch or a Wraith and Nightmares don't look like that." She muttered with a begrudging tone, as he nervously replied."Well that's been the First Major Arcana Fiend in nearly a decade, since the incident that blocked me from using the Arcana's power. Someone shouldn't have to die alone." His own Arcana rune glowed a golden reddish haze, which started to dim to a purple-black while Lucas changed back into his summer holiday clothes of a brown t-shirt and jeans as the Soul Gem, along with Lucas's mark was purified as Homura readied herself to stand. Then Kyubey chuckled a bit at their sudden discomfort from all of the guilt Julian had built up after realising how he had been revived in the 20th Century as a result of the Colonel's wish and what the Traitor Count had done to him.

"Oh, it's just you Kyubey. Can you help us find the Traitor Count please? I would do anything for this. Grief Seeds don't even work like this!" Homura gritted through her teeth at the mysterious contractor as the unpleasant realization of just how bad her replacement was had sunk in, but her chaperone was muttering a question with a wide eyed stare. "What kind of fascist readily would torture someone and turn them into a shell of their former self , without regretting an ounce of pain? Yes Homura, regretfully that's one of the bad side-affects of Agony Flowers, like bitter medicine as a friend said." 

"No, I will not help you Homura Akemi. Surely a good for nothing Magical girl like you, who broke the Law of Cycles that substituted the original system we had designed can handle the person who damaged yours. Also I don't know how someone as old as him contracted, it is illogical. So I will leave this place" As Kyubey left the old Doctor's quarters of Julian Dvorak with barely concealed irrationality, Lucas groaned. "Does he always act like this?" 

"No. He used to be more emotionless. But I think whatever happened that the previous Devil of the Cycle did broke him." The unsettling answer from such a young teenager made Lucas shudder, so he quickly shone a light upon the cobbles while they walked. "What exactly did you mean by that?" "I don't want to talk about it right now." Homura replied as she asked a question of her own. 

"Why do you think my wish was dangerous? You made a similar one for Eleanor san." At Homura's words, Lucas cleared his throat before replying. "Because whoever took your devil powers, probably is thinking up a lot of plans to ensnare us both and I'm not sure if your time stopping ability would work, or mine. Then again I was about to lose everything I had worked for, so to speak." He didn't want to talk about his immoral gambling addiction , drinking and his lowest point in front of the teenage Japanese girl while they walked towards the source of the strange barrier, only to come across a reddish gold gate in the broken down palace. _" Inferno e capire Nuovo gestione da la folle schiaccianoci strega's detronizzare. Tutti il Count Lucio, gloria e il suo eterno Regno!"_

"The Italian in these runes sounds like Mami, she always uses Italian words for her special moves." "Well it seems the culprit is male, for whoever these runes are describing seems to use masculine Italian pronouns, it's obviously not your friend. Well, are you coming, Miss Akemi ?" Homura looked at the outstretched hand, before muttering, as she took it. "Fine then Lucas Bond san. But you'd better know a way to make a way out of this place." 

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As the two of them headed inside, the doors suddenly slammed shut, as a voice cried out as the culprit revealed himself atop the stairs."Bravo,bravo! A Marquis with a debt and the snippet of a devil herself! But you two novices stand before I, Count Lucio of Vesuvia, the Master of Ceremonies for this Cycle! This year, I shall arrange for a hunt between Fiends and Magicians! That includes the two of you." It was a blond haired almost Russian looking man, wearing a gaudy white and red suit. But what Homura only briefly glimpsed and Lucas noticed, was an unsettling aura of built up temptation, desire and jealousy with a brief flash of red eyes, before the glamour reasserted itself in the setting sun. 

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"This is ridiculous, oh great ancestor of a friend. Cease this cruel game at once, for all our sakes. I don't want my family or friends to be hunted like this!" Lucas Bondes stated at the Count, as for once he wished he'd picked a duller mask to disguise himself at the rumoured ancestor of his lounge singer, Tequila Belle's arrogant bark of a voice. For the man who had usurped the Devil Major Arcana himself, Count Lucio was looking at him like a particular gaudy insect to crush under his own boot. Also he wasn't sure how much of his own magic and Horuma's could last, after the encounter with whatever Lucio had turned Eleanor and Reginald's ancestor Julian Devorak into out of spite at the Doctor's Quarter barely half an hour ago. 

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"Oh Lucas Bondes, but you wanted to know if it was true about me on this little excursion. Your own binding is proof of that, to the Sun and your treasured wife. Though didn't you embody the Wheel of Fortune before with another. I know every little desire humanity has." Lucio sneered as his red pupils of silver eyes blinked at the Marquis. For as the blond haired Count walked down the ruins which the barrier's glamour began to change the ruined palace into one fit for a king, with an obvious shade of white colouring the stones. "Behold, my old home, before it was destroyed in the Magic wars! This stage of the hunt will have no fancy tricks, just the two of you and me."

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"It looks tacky." Homura snarked at the Count, who just turned his own attention onto her instead of the Marquis, not noticing the hidden gun in Homura's shield. "What would a snippet of a child know of true class? No matter, I will let you win, for now. I think you'll find that little pea shooter won't work on me." The sneak attack backfired, as the gun disintegrated under Count Lucio's glare of sudden displeasure. She glared upon realising he was being condescending to her, though Lucas looked more nervous upon realising that Count Lucio had somehow dis-integrated a gun with a single look. __

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A quick burst of light nearly stripped away the illusion surrounding the Count and the Palace. Lucio briefly looked enraged as the two of them hurried off and briefly stopped, before somehow catching up despite the obvious shoe-wear difference and that they were wearing trainers. "You fop of a man! That was perfect, but don't think you've wriggled out just yet." Lucio licked his lips as Lucas quickly kept up the pace. __

"No, I can't let Lucas know about what I did to Madoka. He'd probably react badly to it." Homura sighed in her head. "We've nearly made it." But Lucio was __

"Day one of the Count's Hunt is over. Now the real journey begins." A slightly upset female voice sighed as a grey dog yipped at her heels, the Fool did not like the Devil's replacement, Homura's obsession had been bad enough. __


	2. The Moonlit Angel and the shattered Goddess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can an artist chosen by the Moon and the former law of Cycles find common ground?

Junko Kaname frantically ran through Vesuvia's fountain district looking for her daughter, only to bump into a red haired British woman standing next to a police officer and her daughter Madoka. "Excuse me please, but is this pink haired girl your daughter? She said she was looking for a Japanese woman called Junko Kaname with brown hair and a black suit. We were asking the police for help." 

Junko sighed in relief and replied quickly to save face, she really didn't like this hangover. "Yes, thank you stranger for keeping her safe. Come on let's head to the hotel Madoka. By the way what's your name?" "Eleanor Bondes, thanks for asking madam Kaname." The quick conversation made for small talk, but once again Eleanor felt alone without anyone she knew. So she walked towards the old market quarter only to bump into Aurum Runes sketching something. "Ah Aurum, still trying to find inspiration, like me and Trinity?" "Yes, there's a lot of oddities in the gold leaf, but the late Counsel Valerius's commissions proved a good starting point for my next artwork piece."

As she headed back to the booked apartment, a sudden wave of malaise caused all the plants near the Countess Nadia memorial to decay and rot, causing her to shudder from anxiety while the setting sun further tickled at her own magic unwillingly, so she hurried home. The rapid hurrying pace caused her tan shoes to click on the ground as a man wearing historian clothes briefly bumped into her, but headed off. "Oh , that's rude. Oh well I'll wait till Thursday."

As she headed indoors, she saw Lucas standing near the bed on the upstairs window. "Hmm, he seem to be back a bit too early." As she looked through her keys,Elanor noticed hoof prints in the garden . "Evening Lucas. Have you seen a stray goat? Because there are goat hoof-prints all over the garden." 

"Whoever you are, you are not my husband. He's not that much of a hedonist in bed. Show your true form this instant!" The imposter of Lucas Bondes chuckled with his red pupilled eyes while stroking his chin and changed back with a flash of light, into a stranger with a golden prosthetic, blond hair and out of date white and red clothes. "Tchh, as expected from the Moon's chosen, . Shame I was hoping for a good lay with you. I am Lucio the former Count of this city and technically your friends are intruding in my fun."

The former Count's mention of fun had an odd trill of the tongue, but Eleanor decided to buy some time, as she could hear the real Lucas struggling with his apartment key. "Beg your pardon Count, but what kind of fun do you mean? A few of them went out to the nightclubs, if that's what you mean." She asked as he just chuckled. "Merely a hunt, or pleasure if you want. Heavens know angels can fall, that lizard girl's foolish gambit proved it." "Never heard that one."

"Lucio, why on earth are you in my house and trying to seduce my wife?!" Lucas awkwardly interrupted. 

The pink soul gem and the whiteish grey moon mark both started glowing, as cat leaving stellar footprints purred at them. "Allo, you're the two strangers who are friends with the people who saved my brother right? I'm Portisya and you have to leave this city. Let my jug reveal something that happened."

The greyish white liquid flowed like a lazy river, 

Eleanor stated to Lucas. "Do you remember when we saw Evita in the theatre? It's hard to believe that Madonna captured that grace of her in song." "Harder to still, that Tequila once played her."


	3. Trinity, Tequila and Sakuya miki

It was official, Trinity Carrington, nee Rockridge was having a bad hangover and the Wheel of Fortune was nagging her to be careful of setbacks, which annoyed her even more. Clay was still asleep and she groggily fetched her white walking stick from her apartment cabinet. She didn't need luck magic to tell her it was a bad idea to cast a spell while drunk. 

Then her half sister Tequila Belle opened the door and helped her get up. "Morning Trinity. How are you feeling today." "Horrible and in need of breakfast." A curt response, but right now she just felt rubbish. But her day felt a little better and the taste of orange juice downstairs in the kitchen, after trying to get dressed , Trinity felt like a queen. Clay waved goodbye "Hey Tequila and Trinity. Make sure to be safe out there. That devil Count could be anywhere here in Vesuvia! Especially since he tried to impersonate Lucas." 

#####  Tequila Belle's point of view 

As I was about to get out of the bathroom in my blue tracksuit bottoms, an owl feather landed onto our flat's orange windowsill. "Oh, why is there an owl feather here. I hope it's not a trick." But there was no sign of a Major Arcana Fiend's mark on the feather, so she got out of the house and downstairs, only to bump into a blue haired girl on the road near the port.

"I'm sorry child. I was lost in thought." "Oh that's funny, I was thinking about my boyfriend. Ehehehe. By the way, my name's Sayaka Miki and my parents came here on holiday." "Well bon giorno Sayaka, I'm Tequila Belle and my friends and family also came here on holiday." The joyous reply with Tequila was short of a lie, but she didn't want to rain a good day with her negativity. So I hummed one of my songs , Sayaka danced on the cobbles, before quickly heading off to her parent's house. 

"Well,, I should get going and have a look around Vesuvia." 

Sayaka Miki's point of view. 

The morning hues almost turned purple and I backed away in fear, from the picture of a lizard in the book. It looked eerily like Homura, but I couldn't really let who the girl holding the goat's chains was, apart from a brief shock of green. 

####  Trinity's point of View 

"Ah that looks like a good sculpting technique. I need to draw some notes for this." Admittedly being blind was an issue with drawing, but I wasn't giving in that easily, especially since Vesuvia was famed for its sculptors of old. A few quick Braille readings and scribbles with a black pencil left messy carbon splatters on my sketchbook, but it was satisfying . Yet as I finished and was about to head back, a red dressed stout person bumped into her, leaving carbon on their shirt, but as I was about to apologise they shouted at me. 

"You there blind woman wearing green, watch where you're going. You ruined my new shirt!"

"I'm sorry about that Mr or Mrs?" I nervously replied back to them as they huffed. "It's Vulgora." "Oh, that's your name. Well a pleasure to meet you Vulgora. Would you mind if I help pay for the carbon at the dry cleaners?" "Hah, you probably don't have enough euros. Who gave you that ring anyway?"

"You're being a rude person Vulgora, but it's a wedding ring to Clay Rockridge himself. Surely you've heard of him?" 

"I don't care why you married Clay in the boring first place, you are useless and weak for a descendant of Lucio. Shouldn't thee be at an almshouse by now before someone tries to break your bones?" Oh joy, this red wearing witch Vulgora was being an abelist prick to me in public and everyone, apart from the police had backed off from the implied death threat. Tequila looked really angry on the right side of the square


	4. A Ribboned girl, the Flame in the Dark and a Red Rock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can an antisocial voodoo shop owner, a pianist and one lonely magical girl find common ground in the city of vesuvia.

The strange worm had been looking at them, also it was white and silver which was odd. So as Willow Blue was about to tell Redd, he changed the subject. "Anyway Willow, times are changing. I mean it's a good thing no one is insulting us, or trying to beat us up in public because you're black and I'm white, but that's not the point. Have you noticed anything odd lately? Because the others have all been talking about impostors, Fiends and heaven knows what else." 

"There's a strange white worm right behind us." She replied stoically at him, as Redd looked at the worm, picked it up and added "Okay, you weren't joking there, I don't think most worms are white and silver. But it's not like someone is trying to spy on us with worms. Because that would be even stranger." Not caring about the unspoken fate and choices that would result. 

The clawed hands wearing a judge's robes belonging to the same man who Eleanor had met two days ago seethed at the way his familiar had been disrupted, along with other issues. "Oh no! My newest wormy has been found out. Luckily I'm at least a respected judge, so they can't pin it on me, or I could get them arrested." Then a burst of red flames appeared as Lucio appeared in the courthouse. "Why are you hanging around here? I was waiting for you in my palace, Vlastomil."

"I'm busy, in my house." 

Somehow a yellow ribbon had stopped Willow Blue from jumping off the belfry. Redd quickly brought out his phone and stated "Excuse me, emergency services. I need an ambulance. A friend tried to jump off a bellfry tower in an accident."

The White Wyrm of Pestilence looked annoyed at the Dessert Witch, before roaring at our heroes . "What do you want pitiful child? I'm not referring to you fine adults of course, you're surely capable of figuring this out for yourself." "WHERE IS THE CHEESE?" Everyone looked at the


	5. The undying architect, a Golden smith, the light-fingered locksmith and the wandering red spearholder

It did not make sense to Thanos Gorecki, to have a stranger in the place of his old friend, Doctor Giorno Singario. "Excuse me, but I don't recall someone moving into my old friend Doctor Singario's house. Who are you?" The doctor chuckled. "Well, I am Doctor Valdemar. A friend pulled a few favour, sorry for your loss Mr Gorecki." "Don't be."

The chill was unpleasant, which was odd as it was the middle of an Italian summer. "How exactly did Dr Singario die, Mr Valdemar?" At Thanos's question, Valdemar jumped into an animated laugh before saying. "Oh Mr Gorecki, Giorno died by being stabbed by his own medical tools, in a pool 

The red haired girl looked at the two of them before saying. "What's so funny geezers? Never seen a magical girl before?" Which just annoyed them even more as a bony hand burst from the church gravestones. "Don't intreruppt when someone's saying something!" Rhanos snapped while Aurum Runes apologised. "Sorry about this, but we probably need to head inside the church."


End file.
